Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/12/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Information Technology Services Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4975) DOC ID: 4975
Updated: 9/6/2023 10:57 AM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
LOCAL AGENCY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT FUNDS - Accept and Appropriate the Local Agency Technical Assistance Grant Funds in the amount of $500,000 to assist with pre-construction expenses that facilitate development of broadband network deployment to unserved and underserved constituents in the City of Fremont.
Contact Persons:
Name: Jeremy Huynh Sanford Taylor
Title: Management Analyst II IT Director
Div/Dept: Information Technology Services Information Technology Services Phone: (510) 494-4847 510-494-4802
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Staff seek City Council approval to accept a grant award obligated by the State of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to the City of Fremont in the amount of $500,000, and to enter into an agreement with the CPUC to appropriate and use the funds to assist with pre-construction expenses that facilitate development of broadband network deployment to unserved and underserved constituents in the City of Fremont.
BACKGROUND: On February 25, 2022, the CPUC established the Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grant program to support local agencies and tribes in their efforts to expand broadband service to unserved and underserved Californians. Created in accordance with Senate Bill 156, the program has a $50 million budget for grants including a $5 million set-aside for tribes. Technical assistance funding is for planning work that will facilitate high-speed broadband infrastructure projects.
On July 19, 2022, the City adopted a Citywide Fiber Optic Master Plan. The plan identifies several areas containing unserved or underserved households and businesses within the City limits.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The CPUC allocates LATA funding to local agencies for technical assistance project costs in the amount of up to $500,000 per agency, until program funding has been fully allocated. The program’s main goal is to facilitate completion of broadband middle-mile networks and last mile projects, the formation of municipal entities, and agreements for financing broadband infrastructures and support costs associated with these projects.
The grant award is based on the following criteria:
• Engineering design, environmental, feasibilities studies or reports (Pre-Construction Costs) shall be tied to a broadband network deployment project, and
• The broadband infrastructure project shall be designed to reliably meet or exceed 10 Mbps download and upload speeds.
Council Staff Report (ID # 4975) Meeting of September 12, 2023 Updated: 9/6/2023 10:57 AM by Susan Gauthier Page 2
In December 2022, the City applied for the LATA grant in collaboration with To wnsend Public Affairs to secure $500,000 for the reimbursement of the Citywide Fiber Optic Master Plan development cost, engineering services for drafting construction plans, and engineering services to extend broadband throughout the City to reach unserved and underserved areas.
The grant will also be used for consulting services to help develop public-private-partnership agreements to create the conceptual design work (drawings) to deploy fiber to areas where household and business internet speeds are below 100Mbps. Furthermore, the conceptual design work would enable the City to pursue additional grant funding , such as the Last Mile Federal Funding Account grant, administered by the CPUC, for last-mile broadband infrastructure projects.
On July 7, 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission notified the City of its intent to award grant funding on a cost-reimbursement basis, not to exceed $500,000. All work must be completed by July 06, 2025. Because funding stems from federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, projects authorized through the LATA program will be subject to federal rules in addition to CPUC guidelines.
FISCAL IMPACT: Staff recommends that the City Council accept the LATA Grant award of $500,000 and recognize and appropriate the LATA Grant revenue in the Federal Operating Grants Fund (Fund 199).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The recommended action related to accepting and appropriating the LATA grant award and related project is exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because, without limitation, it is not a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2) and/or 15378(b)(5) and as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
ATTACHMENTS:
• City of Fremont LATA award
• LATA Consent Form - Grant Acceptance
• Government Agency Taxpayer ID Form
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Accept the LATA funding in the amount of $500,000.
2. Recognize the grant revenue and appropriate $500,000, as well as any additional supplemental funding, in the Federal Operating Grants Fund (Fund 199).
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all necessary agreements and documents in connection with the grant award.